Midnight Talks (and other one shots)
by tvfan69
Summary: Set after "Vengeance is mine" but with the idea that Karai wasn't mutated. She never went out after Shredder and has been living with the turtles, originally just "Midnight Talks" but now a series of one shots about Karai and her forming relationships with the members of her new family.
1. Midnight Talks (Raph)

"Alright break it up before i do" Leo said to Raph and Karai in frustration as he walked into the living room to see Raph stumbling around the pit with Karai on his back reaching over his shoulder's trying to grab the remote from his hands.

This had become a pretty regular occurrence in the lair, to the point where Mikey just sat on the floor laughing, Donnie waited somewhere else until somebody won the battle for the remote and Leo was sure that after a few more days he'd just let them work it out themselves.

"Get your hands off of my eyes!" Raph demanded when his vision turned to black

"Give me the remote!" Karai bargained now gripping her brother's face in order to stay on as he tried to shake her off of him.

Leo shook his head in a mixture of frustration and amusement, he was getting pretty tired of this happening every time the five of them decided to watch a movie but at the same time if someone had told him a year ago that Karai would be tackling Raph for a TV remote, he would've asked if they were sure it wasn't a bomb detonation remote. But with both of them clearly ignoring him Leo hopped down into the pit and struggled to get in front of Raph, who despite Karai blinding him, appeared to be winning since Karai now needed both her hands to hold on.

"Enough" Leo said, putting his hands on Raph's shoulders to signal him to stop walking around.

Understanding that she had lost Karai reluctantly climbed off of Raph and went to take her seat on the couch, still irritated that Raph had won.

"Is it safe to come in?" Donnie called from the kitchen where he had gone to make the popcorn ten minutes ago.

"Yup and we're watching The Matrix!" Mikey cheered as Donnie came in and took his seat

"We've seen that movie a hundred times" Karai complained

Raph, who was sitting on the floor next to Mikey turned around to face his sister

"You can pick the movie when you pry the remote from my cold, dead hands" he said to her and she only rolled her eyes.

* * *

Ten o'clock and the movie was about half over. Leo glanced around to see who was still awake, for a few years now ten o'clock had been sort of an unofficial bedtime, as in it was the earliest anyone ever went to bed. So after Karai moved in, since she didn't have a bedroom and they were still working on building one, she had been sleeping on the couch and, in Leo's mind at least, starting at ten the couch was her space and he tried to keep the guys from falling asleep there.

Glancing out of the corner of his eye Leo noted that Karai, who was sitting next to him, was still awake and seemed to be paying close attention to the movie

_So much for being sick of this movie _the leader thought to himself as he turned his head to glance at Donnie sitting at the foot of the couch, he seemed to still be paying attention to the movie.

Down on the floor were Raph and Mikey, Mikey's head was bobbing up and down as he fought to keep himself awake while Raph's soft snoring could be heard over the sound of the movie.

_We let him pick the movie and he's the first one asleep _Leo mused to himself.

After about twenty more minutes Donnie began to nod off and decided to head off to bed and was fallowed by Mikey who was almost completely asleep by that point. As they left Leo glanced at Karai to see if she was still awake, she was but he could tell she was getting tired. She had lay down on her side and curled into a ball so once Donnie was gone Leo took the space at the foot of the couch. Taking the hint Karai stretched out her legs enough to be comfortable but said nothing to Leo.

When the movie came to an end Leo and Karai were the only two still awake and with the remote now in his possession Leo stood up to stretch before tossing it to Karai.

"Ow!" She exclaimed, Leo hadn't realized that she was half asleep and therefor not paying attention. The remote bounced against her head as it landed

"Sorry i thought you were awake" Leo apologized as Karai rubbed her head

"Am now" she said to him annoyed

"Sorry" he said again

"It's fine" Karai said back, taking her hand off her head and rolling over to pull her blanket out from in between the cushions.

"I'm going to bed" Leo said with a yawn

"Ok, goodnight" Karai said to him while she finished spreading the old fleece blanket over herself.

"How are we going to get Raph up?" Leo questioned knowing that Raph had been asleep on the floor for well over an hour and was the heaviest sleeper of them all.

Propping herself up on her elbow Karai looked over the edge of the couch at the sleeping turtle

"Just leave him, he'll wake up eventually" She said laying back down

"You don't mind the snoring?" Leo questioned, he didn't have a problem with leaving Raph on the living room floor but he figured Karai was already stuck on the couch for two weeks now with at least one more to go, he really hated to subject her to a snoring roommate.

But she just gave a shrug "He's not that bad, if he gets too loud I'll wake him up" she said and Leo nodded

"Ok, goodnight" he said stepping over Raph's sleeping body and heading for his room.

"Night" Karai called back before settling into sleep.

* * *

When Raph opened his eyes the living room was pitch black and he was still laying on the floor. Sitting up and turning around he saw Karai laying on the couch with her back turned to him. He pulled out his T-phone to check the time, 1:37 it read.

He sat there in the dark for a few minutes, too awake to fall back asleep but too tired to get up and go to his room.

"Karai? Are you awake?" He whispered after a minute or two

"Hmm hmm" he got in muffled response

"Are you awake or are you just murmuring?" He asked her skeptically.

"No I'm awake" she answered before rolling over to face him

"What's up?" She asked, her eyes open but still heavy with sleep, as if the sound of him sitting up had been what woke her.

Raph hesitated for a moment, his mouth opened but no words came at first.

"What was it like? Growing up with Shredder for a father?" He finally asked.

Karai blinked a few times at his question as if to wake herself up before answering. She sat up and crossed her legs, now fully awake.

"Not what you would expect" she finally answered, staring down into her lap. The room was dark but when she looked up she could still see Raph's face, he was patiently waiting for her to continue.

"Shredder was always obsessed with his vendetta but he really did seem to care about me. Whenever i was sick he would cancel training for the day, postpone it until i was better. He taught me everything i know about ninjitsu and sometimes when i did something stupid attempting to make him happy, he would actually smile" she explained, the idea of Shredder smiling was almost as strange to her as it was to Raph. But she had a few faint memories, such as her five year old self making her so called 'father' a horribly drawn birthday card.

"Shredder smiling?" Raph commented to which Karai gave a small laugh

"About once every couple years" she joked before getting back to what she was saying

"Of course he was never exactly father of the year, i used to be terrified of doing anything he might not approve of because if i got caught…" she trailed off and shuttered

"What?" Raph questioned suddenly concerned, which Karai caught onto

"You wouldn't think that yelling was worse than a physical beating and maybe it wasn't but when it comes from Shredder, it feels worse." She explained as all of the horrible nights came back to her.

"I knew Shredder loved me, but if i disobeyed him he would yell and scream. I would beg for forgiveness and he would call me weak. I remember one night when i was eight, i can't even remember what i did anymore, but he sent me to bed early, crying. I had a clock in my room so i kept watching it, i cried for my mother for six straight hours and Shredder didn't even acknowledge me" she explained.

Raph looked at her in sorrow, he didn't like that she had grown up with such monster for a father but what he really hated, was that she wasn't supposed to. She was Splinter's daughter, she was Miwa. She was supposed to be raised by her parents in Japan and have a normal life. Instead she had been kidnapped and raised by a monster, her mother was dead, her father is a rat and she has four turtles for adopted brothers, not to mention they live in a sewer.

"I'm sorry Karai" Raph finally muttered. Karai only looked at him quizzically, it wasn't like Raph to apologize.

"For what? I told you it wasn't that bad and besides you weren't even born yet, or hatched i guess, it's not your fault" she told him, sort of feeling embarrassed that it had momentarily slipped her mind that her brother's had hatched from eggs.

Raph shrugged

"Maybe not but none of this was supposed to happen, you should've had a normal life" Raph said but much to his surprise, despite the darkness of the room, he saw Karai frown.

"All those times Shredder made me cry, every time he called me weak, every time i failed, i had one thing to hold on to. I had once been told that everything that happens, it happens for a reason. I hate what happened just as much as you do, probably more, but if it hadn't then nobody would be fighting the Kraang. Worse things could've happened" Karai said, Raph looked at her in surprise

"So you forgive Shredder?" He asked in surprise, he couldn't believe that she was so calm about this considering every time someone so much as mentioned Shredder's name she would scowl.

Karai narrowed her eyes and shook her head "I'll never forgive him, but i can at least look for a bright side to what he did" she responded

"That's a pretty dark bright side" Raph muttered still loud enough to be heard and Karai actually giggled

"Hey, for somebody who grew up as a lonely, only child, four brothers his a brighter side than you would think" she said causing Raph to grin.

Brothers.

Karai had been living here for about two weeks now and as far as Raph knew this was the first time she had out loud called the turtles her brothers.

"Your sister basically coming back from the dead isn't so bad either" Raph commented which made Karai smile.

For another minute the two sat there in a happy sort of silence. Raph remembered the nights from his childhood, every once in a while he or one of his brothers would upset themselves by wishing that Tang Shen and Miwa were still here.

Karai lay back down, the memories of lonely days and nights from her own childhood suddenly made better by the knowledge that things were different now, that she wasn't alone.

Raph went back to laying on the floor "sorry i was such a jerk when we first met, and talked Leo into betraying you at the docks" he apologized but Karai only chuckled

"After everything i did i'd say we're even" she said which was really her way of apologizing

"Alright Miwa, we're even" Raph agreed. He had called her by her birth name to see what she would say, so far only Splinter had been calling her Miwa.

But she said nothing, not another word was spoken between the two that night. Karai was the first to drift back into sleep while Raph lay there on the floor, a smile on his face because after all these years, the boys most impossible childhood wish had been granted, their sister had come home.


	2. I'm Right Here (Mikey)

It was a normal night for the turtles and Karai, however for them normal includes fighting about thirty alien robots for two cans of mutagen.

"Leo they're getting away!" Donnie exclaimed as half the robot army began to flee from the rooftop.

Leo, however, noticed that the fleeing robots only took one can with them

"They're trying to split us up!" Leo exclaimed

"So what do we do?" Mikey asked from his position of trying to use his nunchucks to pull a blaster away from a Kraang, it appeared to be a pretty even tug of war.

Leo sighed, he never liked splitting up, especially when he could tell that it was what the bad guys wanted. But at the moment it was their best shot of recovering the mutagen.

"Mikey and Karai stay here. Raph and Donnie come with me" Leo ordered and so he along with Raph and Donnie retreated leaving Mikey and Karai to handle the Kraang droids who had stayed behind.

It wasn't really a tough fight, after all once you took down a Kraang droid the actual Kraang just scurried away in fear. But eventually one of them saw that Mikey was distracted by the tug of war, and took advantage of it. The Kraang took his blaster but instead of firing swung it full force into the back of Mikey's head, knocking him out. Karai saw this out of the corner of her eye and instantly jumped away from her fight as the Kraang who knocked Mikey out took aim with his blaster.

"Get away from my brother!" Karai snarled as she knocked the blaster to the side, causing the Kraang to hit another Kraang.

She took down the remaining two Kraang droids before turning her attention to her unconscious little brother. Getting to her knees beside him Karai checked for a pulse and was beyond relieved when she found one.

"Mikey? Mikey can you hear me?" She asked shaking him lightly but got no response, he was out cold.

The only thing that Karai could think to do was call Donnie but when he didn't pick up she figured that the other three probably still had their hands full, or at least she hoped that was it.

"Calm down their fine, they have each other. Right now just worry about Mikey" Karai said to herself as she put away her T-phone and directed her focus back to Mikey.

She had to get him home, but how? He was too heavy for her to pick up and carry and she couldn't drag him anywhere but across the roof.

"Ugh" Karai groaned as she realized that there was nothing she could do but sit and wait for her brother to wake up.

She hated feeling helpless but she couldn't do anything until Mikey woke up and so she could only hope that would be soon. With nothing else to do Karai got up and began pacing the roof, never venturing too far from Mikey. After a few minutes Mikey began groaning but when Karai turned around she saw that he had rolled onto his side and almost into a ball and the noises were more like whimpers.

"Come back… come back, Miwa" he quietly cried like he was having a bad dream.

At first Karai was intrigued and slightly amused by her baby brother's ramblings but once her name came out of his mouth she grew frightened and shook Mikey's shoulders.

"Mikey" She said over his soft cries and his eyes snapped open, but nothing could've prepared Karai for what happened next.

He sat up almost instantly and just a second after he yanked her into a hug. At first Karai wasn't really sure of what to do but she returned the hug. Mikey was still crying as Karai gently rubbed her thumb back and forth on the back of his head.

"Mikey it's ok, i'm right here" she told him. She didn't have any experience with this kind of thing whatsoever but she didn't find it that hard, she just said to Mikey the things that no one ever said to her.

Mikey sniffled, he was still dazed but he was sentient enough to register that he needed to stop crying. He took a few shaky breaths as he tried to calm down. He let go of Karai who pulled away from him and knelt before him, looking him in the eyes. She was hesitant, she knew what she wanted to do but she also knew that it would cross a line she couldn't cross with the other three. But Mikey was different, there was something about his childlike nature that opened him up to comfort more than the others and so Karai reached out and using her thumb she wiped a tear from his face.

"Come on let's get you home" she said and so the two of them stood up with Karai placing Mikey's arm around her shoulders to support him.

* * *

She managed to get him off the roof and to the nearest alley with a manhole cover but by that time he looked about ready to drop again.

"You definitely have a concussion" Karai muttered as she moved the manhole cover aside.

"I know" Mikey groaned as he stumbled around in a circle

"Everything is spinning" he complained which caused Karai roll her eyes

"You're spinning" she informed him.

"Oh" Mikey said embarrassed as he tried to stand still, grabbing onto the edge of a dumpster for balance.

"Man how hard was i hit?" He asked as his world continue to spin even after his body came to a standstill.

"Hard" Karai replied as she put a hand on his arm

"Come on, you can lay down back at the lair" she said as she led him over to the sewer entrance.

Karai watched Mikey go down the ladder first, she would've gone first but she had to place the cover back over the hole. On her way down she kept watching Mikey below her to make sure he didn't fall, at least three times she was sure he would. She was halfway down when her T-phone began ringing and she sighed in relief upon seeing Donnie's I.D..

"Hello" she answered stopping in the middle of the ladder.

"Did you call me?" Donnie asked on the other end

"Yeah, Mikey has a concussion. We're halfway home" she informed Donnie who was silent for a moment, as if he were trying to determine why she had called if that was all she had to tell him, she was handling it just fine.

"He was unconscious when i called you" Karai added which she could tell was worrying Donnie.

"How is he now?" Donnie questioned, Karai glanced at Mikey who was standing in the sewage below with one hand still gripping the ladder as if he would fall if he let go.

"Not great, I've got to go" Karai admitted before hanging up. She jumped off the ladder, landing in front of Mikey who really was looking like he would pass out again.

His eyelids fluttered between open and closed, he was trying to stay awake but it was only a matter of time before his tired mind gave into his body and collapsed. Trying to figure out the distance from here to the lair in her head Karai wondered if she could carry Mikey that far. She had given Leo a piggyback once but it only lasted a minute if that and she could barely hold his weight. But there was no way Mikey was going to make it all the way back to the lair, if he even made it another five feet. So Karai pulled Mikey onto her back, he would've argued but he was too out of it to say anything, and she staggered a few steps before adjusting her body to Mikey's weight and managed to move a little faster.

* * *

"Ugh" Karai huffed when she finally reached the lair and dropped the once again unconscious Mikey on the couch.

The lair was only a short walk from where she had entered the sewers but with Mikey on her back it had felt like she couldn't get home soon enough. She had nearly fallen over more than once and now could only be thankful to have Mikey off her back. Before sitting down herself Karai went to Mikey's bedroom to grab a blanket for him and nearly did a face plant into the floor after tripping over the junk on his floor.

"He really needs to clean up in here" she muttered to herself as she grabbed the comforter from his bed but as she was leaving she did trip and fall and as she picked herself up an envelope under Mikey's bed caught her eye.

Normally she didn't go through her brother's things but this envelope had her birth name written on it in bright green crayon.

Grabbing the envelope she went back to the living room and spread Mikey's comforter over him.

"Miwa what happened?" Splinter asked coming out of the dojo to see his daughter placing a blanket over his youngest son who was laying asleep on the couch.

"He was knocked out by a Kraang. He woke up but then he passed out again, i decided to bring him home" Karai explained while Splinter checked Mikey's pulse and felt his forehead.

"The other's will be back soon" she added before Splinter could ask.

* * *

An hour had passed and the other three still weren't back, although that was probably because Leo texted Karai to say that if she was ok with Mikey they were going to stop at Murakami's to get Mikey some pizza gyoza, she just told Leo not to spill the mutagen. That reminded her that after Mikey was knocked out she completely forgot about the can of mutagen on the roof so she also texted that to Leo and he said that they would make sure to go get it.

Anyway Karai was sitting at the foot of the couch watching TV when Mikey began to wake up.

"Ooh, what happened?" he groaned as Karai got up and sat back down next to him on the edge of the couch.

"You were hit in the back of the head by the side of a Kraang blaster" She explained as Mikey continued to groan.

"Well that explains the headache" he commented and Karai smirked, only Mikey would start joking in this situation.

"Hey um i… i went into your room to get your blanket and… is this anything?" Karai asked awkwardly as she handed Mikey the envelope, he took it and looked at it for a second but then he just handed it back to her.

"Open it" he said but at first Karai only looked at it

"Go ahead, it's your's" Mikey continued to encourage and so with her little brother watching Karai opened the envelope.

Inside was a piece of paper that had been folded in half with the number nine drawn on the front cover in purple crayon and outlined again and again with green, yellow and blue. Unfolding the paper revealed that it was a card. The inside was decorated with scribbles which resembled the images of a birthday cake and presents. The message on the inside of the card, much like the name on the envelope, was messily written but just legible enough to read.

_Dear Miwa,_

_Happy birthday! We all miss you and i hope we see you soon. Master Splinter says you died in a fire when you were a baby but he also says that the firemen didn't find you so if your alive somewhere i hope you're happy. I hope you get this card and i hope you come home soon._

_Love, Mikey._

Karai just stared blankly at the message after reading it and re-reading it to be sure she hadn't misread, had Mikey really figured out years ago that she was actually alive?

"I used to write you a birthday card every year" Mikey said interrupting his sister's thoughts, her head snapped up to look at him.

"But that was the first year i knew that your body was never found so all the ones before it just say happy birthday" he explained but Karai just looked at him.

"Earlier when you were crying..?" She began to ask but trailed off, she didn't really know how to ask him about that.

Mikey thought for a minute before answering, trying to remember what exactly had happened.

"I don't remember what happened before i got knocked out but when i woke up i was pretty out of it. I saw you and for like two seconds it was like i had forgotten the past couple of weeks. All could remember about you was wishing you were here when we were kids and so to see you waking me up, it was like a nightmare had ended" he explained, avoiding her gaze after he did. He knew it sounded stupid, his memory of the past few weeks had returned about three seconds after he pulled her into a hug but for those brief two seconds of disorientation it had seemed like if he didn't hold onto her she would disappear again.

Karai didn't know what to say, Mikey never even met her as a child and yet he had somehow managed to love and miss her so much? His heart was so big and Karai would never understand how such a gentle spirit could even exist but she didn't need to, she was only grateful that it did. Tucking him in a little more Karai stood up with a smile

"Well don't worry, i'm not going anywhere any time soon" she assured him before leaving to go tell Splinter that Mikey was awake.

As she walked away Karai smiled to herself, when the guys first rescued her from Shredder she had wondered if she could ever truly be a part of this family but now she knew that she could, because she always had been.


	3. Protective (Leo)

"I'm the leader and i don't trust him" Leo said sternly, trying to win the argument which was just getting worse and worse with each word said.

"You're the leader on the battlefield, you are not in charge of my personal life" Karai growled at him.

The two of them had been standing around the counter fighting since the end of dinner and by the looks of things the argument was nowhere near finished. It all started because Karai had been going with April to watch Casey's hockey games the past couple of weeks and a few times afterward they went for pizza or something with Casey's friend Matt. The problem is that each night Karai came home saying Matt had gone with them after the game was coincidentally a night when the foot clan had attacked the turtles on patrol and considering this had happened a total of six times now, Leo didn't think it was all that coincidental. So now that Karai had told him she had plans to hang out with just Matt tonight, well the current argument had ensued.

"It's my responsibility to look out for you, both on the field and off" Leo argued while trying to maintain a calm demeanor.

"I'm not a baby Leo!" Karai shouted at her brother. She knew her response was immature, really immature. But truthfully she didn't know what else to say. Even in this heated argument it had touched her to hear that Leo would always be looking out for her.

"I never said you were!" Leo shouted back

"What is going on in here?!" Splinter's voice cut through the argument and there was silence for a minute, neither Karai or Leo wanted to admit that their fight boiled down to Leo trying to keep his sister away from a boy.

"Well?" Splinter questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't trust her friend Matt" Leo admitted.

Splinter looked at his son in curiosity. He knew about his daughter's plans for the night and didn't have a problem with them but Leonardo normally didn't intervene in any of his siblings personal agenda's unless he felt he absolutely needed to.

"Oh and why is that?" Splinter asked Leo who suddenly realized that his argument sounded like nothing more than paranoia.

"Every time we've been attacked by the foot clan recently it's only been when she's with Matt. I don't think it's a coincidence" Leo explained and Splinter then looked to Karai who still looked very annoyed with Leo.

"Miwa" Splinter said, snapping his daughter's attention back to him.

"Do you trust this boy?" He asked her and she nodded.

"Then you may go, but be careful" Splinter said, he trusted his daughter's instincts and knew that after everything that had happened she was not a person to trust just anyone. So if she trusted this boy she had met, even if it was just that he wouldn't hurt her, he would let her go.

* * *

"So who won?" Raph questioned when Leo fell into the seat next to him on the couch.

"Karai" Leo bitterly answered

"Splinter told her to be careful but said she could go" he continued but Raph merely shrugged.

"You ever think you still have a crush on her?" He asked but Leo just stared at him

"Of course not! Do you have any idea how wrong that would be?!" Leo exclaimed, he had been trying to forget he ever had a crush on Karai.

"Well yeah but you did seem a little jealous" Raph pointed out, smirking when Leo's cheeks turned a bright red color as he frowned.

"I am not jealous" Leo said knowing it was useless due to the fact that he was blushing and of course Raph started laughing.

"Seriously Raph i'm not. I just have a really bad feeling about this guy" he tried to explain

"Leo you've never even met the guy and besides Karai can take care of herself" Raph said and Leo sighed, he knew that.

The strange thing was that he really wasn't jealous. He was embarrassed by the fact that he used to have a crush on Karai, but he was long over that. No this was driven from the fact the she is his sister, from his instincts to protect his family. He knew that assuming Matt was working for the foot clan was taking things a bit too far but he was still afraid that Karai would get hurt, even if it wasn't physically.

* * *

"So are you and April like roommates or something?" Matt questioned Karai as the two of them began walking to the ice cream shop.

He had picked Karai up at April's and when they usually hung out with April and Casey Karai always went home with April which he had assumed was just she hung out there a lot but tonight April wasn't home, she was at the movies with Casey.

"No but i was over there before she left and her house is on the way to the ice cream place, i live kind of out of the way" Karai answered being as vague as possible, not that Matt was going to guess that she lived in a sewer.

"Where's kind of out of the way?" Matt questioned but Karai only giggled

"I'm not telling you" she laughed but of course she was serious, she trusted him but not yet enough to let him in on the secret of the lair, she doubted she would ever trust anyone that much.

"Why not? Afraid i'll stalk you?" Matt teased with a smile

"No but my brother will probably kill you if you ever showed up at my house" she said and that wasn't a lie, of course if Matt ever showed up at the lair she would probably kill him before Leo could.

Matt chuckled "He's never even met me" he said, pretending to be hurt.

"Yeah and when i told him we were hanging out tonight i thought he was going to kill me" Karai sort of joked but her smile began to fade, she was still pretty upset with Leo.

"Well maybe if i met him-" Matt began but was cut off.

"I don't think that's a good idea. He was in an accident, he doesn't like people to see him" Karai said being as honest as she could.

Matt was quiet for a second, as if thinking of something to say.

"Sorry to hear that, what happened?" He finally asked

"I'd rather not talk about it" Karai answered and Matt nodded.

A few more minutes passed in silence before Matt finally spoke up again

"Come on i know a shortcut" he said, cocking his head towards an alley.

But Karai knew where they were and where that alley led, the street of Shredder's lair.

"No come on, let's just go the way we usually go" Karai said as she tried to avoid the street at all costs.

"A shortcut is faster" Matt said and before Karai could argue Matt grabbed her wrist and began dragging her towards the alley.

For a second she went with it, she let him drag her but then, when they were halfway through the alley, the church came into sight.

"Matt wait" she said, stopping abruptly which caused Matt to stop since he still hadn't let go of her wrist.

"What's up?" He asked but Karai couldn't think of anything to say, she just stood there with her mouth partially open.

"Karai are you ok?" Matt asked her and she was about to answer, she didn't know what she'd say but she knew she had to say something. But that was when she saw, up on the fire escape of one of the buildings, stood a foot bot.

It was barely visible in the darkness of the alley at night, but it was visible. Narrowing her eyes Karai lightly tried to take back her wrist but just as she suspected Matt didn't let go.

"No i'm not" she answered Matt before yanking her arm back but Matt's grip only tightened before he pulled her forward and sent her crashing face first into the ground.

About seven foot bots jumped out from the shadows, surrounding them as Karai picked herself up.

"It's your choice Karai, you can come with us to see Shredder peacefully or we can take you by force" Matt said to her but she only narrowed her eyes, she was never going to hear the end of this from Leo.

She swung hard behind her, elbowing a foot bot in the stomach and taking it's sword. As the robots attacked she fought them off as best she could but she knew she couldn't win this fight alone and eventually the foot bots restrained her.

"You know you probably should've listened to your brother and stayed home tonight" he teased as he walked towards her.

"I'm not the best listener" Karai retorted and Matt chuckled

"For a kunoichi, you're not the best liar either. 'My brother was in an accident and doesn't like people to see him' please, even if i didn't know that your so called brothers are mutant freaks i'd know you were hiding something" he mocked but Karai only snarled at him.

"Guess i struck a nerve" Matt smirked before turning his attention to the foot bots.

"Bring her to Shredder" he ordered and the robots tightened their grips on their captive's arms, their cold metal fingers digging deeply into her bare flesh but she only smirked as they began to drag her away, she knew how she could win.

"Foot bots attack!" She shouted and the robots obeyed. They released their captive and began to attack their leader who stared at the sight in confusion.

"What? No attack her!" He ordered them and so they turned back around to attack Karai who smirked.

"I taught them everything they know, they respond to my voice just as well as yours" Karai explained to Matt before ordering the robots once again to attack their current master.

"Very well" he said with a nod

"Stand down" he ordered the robots then glared at Karai, and the fight began.

It began with the two teenagers circling each other, neither of them had any weapons. Karai had opted to leave her dagger at the lair and Matt had come without his sword to ensure Shredder that no harm would come to Karai.

"Ladies first" Matt said with a chuckle but Karai only smirked back

"Go ahead" she teased and Matt growled but swung his fist with an aim at Karai's face.

She blocked the punch with the side of her arm and swung with her other arm. Matt grabbed her wrist and kneed her in the stomach, sending her stumbling backwards as he let go of her wrist. He hit her with another blow to the face before she could recover and then backed her into a wall. He held her there with an arm pressed firmly below her neck

"You know Shredder really over estimated you" he said but with a growl Karai grabbed Matt's arm and kicked off the wall. She flipped right over him and before he could turn around she had him pressed against the wall, immobilizing his arms behind his back.

She didn't say anything, she had no sarcastic comment or joke to make. Instead she just rammed Matt's head into the hard brick of the wall before dropping her grip on him.

Matt fell to the ground of the alley dazed from the impact and by the time his senses came back to him Karai was gone.

* * *

Leo and Raph were still watching TV when they heard footsteps in the entrance of the lair and turned to see Karai coming through the gates.

"You're home early" Leo commented but Karai didn't say anything.

She just stood there for a moment, one arm hanging at her side and the other placed across her stomach with her hand holding her limp arm. Looking at her feet she walked off in the direction of her yet to be finished bedroom. A quiet minute passed between Leo and Raph after Karai had left the room, as if they were each contemplating whether or not one of them should do something or if they should just leave her alone.

"I'll go talk to her" Leo finally said as he got to his feet.

As he walked towards the bedrooms he tried to figure out if this was a good idea or not, he didn't know what had happened tonight but he was probably the last person Karai wanted to talk to, if she wanted to talk at all. But he reached the closed door of her bedroom and knocked.

"Karai? Are you ok?" He asked but he got no response

"Karai i know you're in there, you're going to have to come out eventually" he said through the door. She doesn't have a bed yet so she would have to come out to sleep although Leo wouldn't put it past her to stay in there and sleep on the cold cement floor just to avoid him.

Sighing Leo placed a hand on the door handle and was surprised when it actually turned, he had suspected she'd lock it. Inside he found Karai sitting up against the back wall of the room, her knees drawn to her chest and one hand over her mouth to muffle the sound of her tears.

At first Leo was taken back by the sight, he had known she was upset when he decided to talk to her, it was the reason he decided to talk to her, but still the sight of her of all people actually reduced to tears was a shock. Shaking off the feeling he quietly closed the door behind him

"Bad night?" He asked sort of jokingly as she took a shaky breath before answering him

"You were right" she said in almost a whisper, Leo's eyes went wide.

"What?" He asked as he sat down across from her.

Karai removed her hand from her mouth but continued to stare absently into her lap, to embarrassed to look her brother in the eye.

"You were right, he was working for Shredder" she confessed and despite trying to hold herself together once she had said it out loud she just lost it.

It wasn't that she had liked Matt, she didn't think of him as anything more than a friend, but it was that for five minutes she had actually felt like a normal person. She wasn't Shredder's trained assassin or Splinter's lost daughter trying to regain her honor. She wasn't uncovering some alien conspiracy or collecting mutagen. She wasn't the girl who had been kidnapped as a baby. She was just another teenager hanging out with a friend, but then it was ripped away from her.

As she cried she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up in surprise, she been expecting Leo to tell her that he told her so.

"I'm sorry" was what he said.

Karai sniffled "It's ok" she said wiping her eyes and not caring when it smudged her make up.

"No it's not, even i know that when you make friends you shouldn't have to worry that they're secretly plotting to hand you over to Shredder." He said and Karai smiled as she wiped her eyes again.

"Thanks" she said softly

Leo grinned at the sight of her smiling and then stood up

"We were gonna watch a movie, you interested?" He asked as Karai stood up with a nod

"Yeah be there in a minute" she said before leaving the room and heading for the bathroom to wash away the remnants of her make-up.

* * *

It was just past ten and the movie was about half over. Once again Leo made a quick scan of the other's and noted that all but Karai were awake. Karai at some point had curled herself into a ball and lay down to fall asleep. Giving a small smile at the sight Leo turned his attention back to the movie but soon began thinking about earlier. He now understood why he had been so worried, he didn't want to see his sister heart broken. When she told him he had been right it had been enough to make him grit his teeth and ball his fists for brief moment before he placed his hand on her shoulder. He hated to see anyone in his family like that, and if they ever saw Matt in battle he'd make sure to throw him off a building. He knew Karai could handle herself but she is still his sister, he would always be there to protect her.


	4. Get To Know You (Donnie)

"There has got to be an easier way to do this" Donnie complained as he and Karai carried a mattress over their heads from the dump through the twists and turns of the sewer system.

"Well pushing it was easier" Karai reminded her brother

"Yeah but then it gets all covered in sewage and i don't know about you but i don't want to clean that" Donnie said to which Karai shrugged in agreement.

The two kept walking in silence, Karai was in the back so the only talking came when Donnie warned her of a turn up ahead.

* * *

When they finally arrived at the lair they set the mattress down on it's side, finally opting to push it. Once again moving without a word, the two pushed the mattress down to Karai's room and through the door which she had purposely left open. Karai had been living with them for just two days short of a month now and Donnie hadn't been in her room since the second day of the second week when he hooked up the electricity. The room had changed a surprising amount since that day not so long ago and now, instead of a closet under construction, it actually resembled the bedroom of a teenage girl. Pushed up in the left corner against the back wall was a small dresser which Leo had helped her bring back from the dump a few days ago. On top of that was her make up and a few scattered earrings. Hanging right above the dresser on the wall was a mirror with a light green colored wooden frame. Donnie also noticed that her Juji-ken sword was also resting atop her dresser. Aside from that the room was still bare for the most part, an old CD player was plugged into the right corner by the door and she had placed a lantern covering over the lightbulb which dangled from the ceiling in the center of the room. A scroll decorated with the images of cherry blossoms hung from the right wall and as they pushed the mattress up against the back wall Donnie noticed the plaid purple blanket on the floor in the far right corner.

"Thanks" Karai said once the bed was in place, snapping Donnie out of his thoughts.

"No problem" Donnie said, wiping the dirt from his hands before leaving the room.

* * *

It was about two hours later when Donnie found Leo sitting on the floor of the pit watching a Space Hero's rerun.

"Hey Leo, when you get a second can we talk?" He asked, something had been bothering him ever since he helped Karai move her mattress into her room. Of course it wasn't anything that couldn't wait until Leo's show was over.

But Leo didn't wait until his show had ended, it was an episode he wasn't a particular fan of and he had been watching it just for something to do so he turned around to face Donnie.

"What's going on?" He asked as Donnie took a seat on the couch with a sigh.

"Ok this is going to sound really weird but… do you know anything about Karai?" Donnie asked, not really sure how to phrase his question.

Leo looked at his brother quizzically, not quite understanding what he meant.

"Um…" Leo began but Donnie jumped in

"I mean i know she was raised by Shredder and everything. But earlier today i was in her room and it was not what i expected" he tried to explain but Leo still couldn't understand what his younger brother was getting at.

"What do you mean?" Leo asked, he couldn't think of anything else to say.

Donnie groaned, frustrated that he was having such a hard time getting his point across.

"I mean it looks like a normal bedroom. She doesn't have as much junk on her floor as we do but she has a poster on her wall and her earrings scattered on her dresser and she has that old CD player none of us use." Donnie began listing but soon ran out of things to say.

"And?" Leo asked, still unsure of what Donnie's point could possibly be.

"And i was surprised." Donnie concluded, a solemn and somewhat guilty expression settling onto his face.

"I don't know what i expected that room to look like but when i saw it i realized that, and i realized that she's been here for almost a month and i don't know anything about her" he tried to explain and finally Leo understood.

Thinking about it Leo realized that he didn't know Karai as well as he knew his brother's either. He knew a few things, he knew she hated hamburger on pizza and that next to Mikey she was the only one in the house who knows how to cook. He didn't know anything about her childhood but he had decided not to ask her about that, she would tell them if she wanted to.

"I don't know but like you said she hasn't even been here for a month, just give it some time" Leo advised, Donnie only gave a small and nearly undetectable nod in response.

"Yeah i guess you're right" He muttered.

* * *

It was the middle of the night when Karai woke up in a cold sweat. Panting heavily she sat up in her bed and crossed her arms as she calmed herself down.

"Just a dream" she whispered to herself as she lay back down

"Jus a dream" she repeated and so she tried to sleep but the memory of her dream kept her awake.

Nightmares were not exactly common for her but they weren't uncommon either. It seemed like for every good dream she ever had she would have a nightmare the fallowing night. Needless to say they generally didn't bother her, she'd wake up in fear, take a few deep breaths, then go back to sleep. But once in awhile it was bad, and even after what felt like twenty minutes (when really it had only been about ten) Karai still couldn't get back to sleep she decided to get up and get a drink of water.

Getting up she checked the time on her T-phone

"Great" she muttered in annoyance when she saw that it was three-fifteen in the morning but then she figured that at least that meant everyone else was asleep and she wouldn't be seen.

Sneaking our of her bedroom, and making sure that the door didn't make a sound when it closed behind her, Karai made her way into the kitchen but just as she got there she noticed a light in the living room. Curiosity getting the better of her, Karai made her way into the living room and saw that the light was actually coming from Donnie's lab. Knowing that Donnie never left the door of his lab open when he wasn't in it she peered inside and couldn't help but giggle at what she saw. Donnie sat at his desk asleep, face down on top of some papers and a pencil still in his fingers.

Being a light sleeper Donnie was awoken by the sound of his sister quietly laughing in the doorway.

"What time is it?" He asked groggily as he raised his head and dropped his pencil

"Three-fifteen" Karai answered and Donnie rolled his eyes, mentally scolding himself for falling asleep in the lab again.

"What are you working on?" Karai questioned

"Upgrading the Shellraiser" Donnie answered and Karai nodded but said nothing else.

As Donnie began organizing his papers into a pile Karai was about to leave but Donnie stopped her.

"Hey what do you want for your birthday?" He asked, Karai eyed him skeptically.

"My birthday isn't for another month" she reminded Donnie, her voice filled with suspicion.

Donnie only shrugged "I know" he said and so Karai thought for a second

"Nothing" she finally answered but Donnie frowned

"Seriously?" He asked with a very annoyed look on his face, ok so he had asked that to try and find out more about her so not only was that going down the drain with her answer but he really did need to think of something for her birthday.

"I don't need anything" Karai told him with a shrug but he only sighed

"Well what do you like?" He questioned her but when she merely shrugged he groaned in frustration.

"Karai seriously i don't know anything about you" He finally admitted, Karai's expression turned back into one of skepticism and confusion.

"That's not true, you know my birthday" she told him somewhat sarcastically but his frustrated expression didn't change.

"That doesn't count" he said

Karai frowned but looked at Donnie who was just staring absently at his desk, now it was clear that this was about more than trying to get her a birthday present.

"If it helps, i'm happy you know that much" she said. Donnie looked up at her from his seat but she was staring absently at the floor.

"The other day i found a card Mikey made for my ninth birthday, he said he used to make me a birthday card every year" she explained, looking up as if she were asking him to confirm this.

Donnie nodded to her, he knew Mikey had made some birthday cards for Miwa when they were kids but he didn't know how many years he did it for. For all he knew Mikey could've still been doing it through last year. But something about Karai's face was strange when she told him this, her expression was sad.

"Yeah, we always knew about you. I can't remember a time when we didn't. You've always been our sister it's just we never thought we would ever meet you" Donnie explained, he didn't know exactly what but he knew he was trying to reassure Karai of something.

He was about to say something else when he noticed Karai cross her arms, each hand gripping part of her other arm.

"Why do you do that?" He asked, he was well aware that his question sounded like something he would've rolled his eyes at Mikey for asking but his curiosity got the better of him.

Karai shrugged but other than that she ignored the question.

"I wasn't here, my birthday and my name are the only things you should know about me" she assured Donnie but he could tell that the smile she gave him was fake.

There was something she was considering telling him, maybe an answer to his question. Be it that or something else Donnie could tell that something, something was bothering her.

"Well you're here now, so tell me something" Donnie told her not really expecting her to tell him anything but she gave him a small grin.

"When i was sleeping in the living room i watched your Super Robo Mecha Force video's after you all went to bed" she admitted which Donnie was very surprised to hear and the surprise must have been written all over his face because Karai started laughing.

"What's with the look?" She teased

"I don't know… i guess i just didn't think you liked that kind of stuff" he admitted

"I saw half an episode when i was six. I always wanted to see the rest but i didn't even know what channel i was watching when i saw it, guess after all these years i got my wish" she explained and Donnie smiled.

Returning her brother's smile Karai pushed herself off of the doorway where she had been leaning.

"Alright I'm going back to bed, night" she said as she left the lab

"Night" Donnie called after her.

He continued to sit at his desk for a moment after she was gone and he smiled to himself, maybe he didn't know as much about Karai as he did his brothers but one thing he did know was that slowly, over time, that would change.

* * *

As Karai crawled back into bed a small smile fell across her face. She hadn't wanted to tell Donnie but the reason she always crossed her arms, the reason she comforted herself, was because she always handled her fears and problems alone. No one had ever comforted her, no one had ever told her things would be ok and no one ever talked to her when she needed it the most. So when Donnie mentioned that she had always been their sister, she felt guilty. She knew it wasn't her fault that she hadn't been around when they were kids, but still she wished that she had been. But tonight it was once again proved to her that she was really a part of this family because, although he may not have realized it, Donnie was there for her. He cared enough to want to know more about her and as she drifted off into sleep her only thought was that he probably would never understand how grateful she was for that.


	5. The Past (Splinter)

Everyone watched in anticipation as Leo and Karai circled each other during training. It was an odd sense of familiarity for both of them, the last time they fought was back when they were enemies and each had to fight the urge to begin the fight with some kind of sarcastic comment the way that they used to. For the past few weeks Karai had been sparring mostly with April and although they were a good match it was clear that Karai held back more than she should've been so today Splinter had decided to pair her against Leonardo, he knew that was challenge for both of them.

It was Leo who made the first move, he swung his sword down at Karai diagonally, aiming for her middle but she jumped out of the way. When she landed she aimed her much smaller sword at the side of Leo's neck and of course he ducked his head. As he ducked he swung his sword up at her but she dodged the attack. Leo stood up straight once more only to clash swords with his sister. The fight continued like that for a while, just metal clanging against metal as attacks were blocked. Finally Leo swung his leg at Karai's ankles and knocked her off her feet. She lay on her back on the ground, looking up at Leo who stood over her smirking as he pointed a sword at her chin.

"I win" he gloated with a smirk

"If only you could've done that when i was in the Foot clan" Karai commented as she pushed the tip of her brother's sword away from her face before getting to her feet.

She had been here for over a month now and her past in the Foot clan was starting to become more of a joke than anything else. It looked as if it was going to become one of those things that you looked back on years later and laugh about. It may sound strange but Karai liked that her past was turning into something which would be joked about because when they used it as a joke she felt like the past was truly in the past.

Leo and Karai joined the others in kneeling in a row as Splinter paced in front of them, a signal that training was almost over for the day. Splinter grinned slightly as his two oldest children took their places, he too had noticed that Miwa's past was becoming far less of a burden to her and was happy to see her more and more comfortable with her reality with each passing day.

* * *

Patrol that night started out pretty quiet, no sight of the Foot or the Kraang and the only real noise was coming from Mikey who was complaining of boredom.

There were keeping watch of the loading docks in the back of T.C.R.I. after spotting a Foot clan vehicle parked there from a few rooftops away.

"Now before we go in there, you're sure that van belongs to the Foot?" Raph questioned Karai who glared at him in annoyance.

"Considering i used to drive it, pretty sure" she answered sarcastically

"Alright let's go" Leo ordered.

* * *

Inside T.C.R.I. they hid on the rafters of the ceiling and sure enough Shredder along with Tiger Claw, Rahzar, Fishface and a few foot bots were inside talking to a Kraang droid. Karai was crouching behind Raph but he could picture her face all to easily and so turning to look over his shoulder he found that just as he had expected she was scowling as though she may jump down and kill Shredder if the four of them weren't there to stop her. He gave a sympathetic yet warning look, one that said if she didn't at least push that feeling aside in the next sixty seconds she would be forced to go back outside and wait on the roof across the street. Catching what her brother was silently telling her Karai closed her eyes for a moment and her tense shoulders relaxed as she cooled her raging mind and stopped gritting her teeth, deep down she knew her family was right, revenge was not what she needed.

"What is going on down there?" Mikey questioned, Shredder and the Kraang droid were still talking but were to far away to be heard.

"Last i knew Shredder had some plans for Stockman to mutate someone, i don't know who though" Karai answered wishing she could be more helpful.

"Someone in the Foot clan?" Leo questing but Karai only shrugged

"Probably, Rahzar became more powerful after being double mutated" she agreed and she had to admit that she liked calling Shredder's mutant henchmen by the names Mikey had given them as opposed to their human names.

"Well whatever it is it can't be good" Raph commented.

Meanwhile Tiger Claw, thanks to his high sense of smell, could tell that the Foot and the Kraang were not alone in the room and looked around until he spotted the intruders, the turtles and Karai. Tiger Claw never has been one for subtlety however since no one else had spotted the intruders the sound of his high powered laser gun being shot at the ceiling was enough of a surprise to make even robotic the foot solders jump.

"Come down and fight you cowards!" Tiger Claw bellowed before his actions could be questioned.

Knowing that they had no other choice the five teenagers jumped down to the floor, each took up a fighting stance.

It didn't take long for the fight to begin, and even less time for it to escalate into an all out battle of war. Donnie and Karai were taking out the Kraang while Leo took on Tiger Claw, Mikey fought Rahzar and Raph battled Fishface.

Then Shredder found Karai.

He ripped her from her battle with the Kraang, grabbing her by her shoulders and pinning her against the nearest wall.

"You dare fight alongside the turtles?" He bellowed at her but she didn't respond with anything more than a furious snarl.

She grabbed his wrists tightly and using all her strength she broke free of his grip. He tried to pin her again but she moved out of the way and unleashed four throwing stars at him. The fight continued for a long time, however it mainly consisted over Shredder trying to pin Karai to something and Karai leaping out of the way. But at some point Karai made it to higher ground than Shredder and seeing opportunity in this she jumped down, kicking the leader of the Foot clan hard in the chest and knocking him over as she landed. She stood over him, sneering angrily, her sword was raised and she stabbed it down before Shredder could recover, it landed right next to his head. Staring up at his former daughter who was still undoubtedly seething with rage Shredder narrowed his eyes.

"You have become weak" he growled and with that said he got back to his feet, punching Karai hard enough to knock her unconscious as he did.

"Karai's down!" Donnie shouted to Leo who looked just in time to Shredder picking her up by her wrist the way Tiger Claw had back in the butcher shop.

"Not again" Leo sneered in a whisper to himself as he abandoned his fight with Tiger Claw.

He raced towards Shredder and swung his sword directly at the man's wrist, Shredder's gauntlet prevented the sword fro doing any damage but it was enough for him to lose his grip on Karai.

Her limp body fell to the floor with a thud and not even a second later Leo grabbed her and slung her over his shoulder.

"Retreat!" Leo called as he ran, he was already halfway to the skylight the had entered through by the time he said it.

The other three looked around for a minute but already being down a teammate and seeing that their own battles were not going to end in much of a victory they listened and fallowed their leader out of the building.

* * *

Upon making it back to the lair Leo lay Karai down on the couch, she didn't stir a bit.

"Karai. Karai come on wake up" Leo said, lightly shaking his sister. It did little good and she still did not wake.

"What happened?" Splinter's urgent voice caused Leo to flinch as his sensei appeared behind him.

"We were fighting the Foot clan, Karai got knocked out" Leo explained as Donnie joined him at the edge of the couch.

"She'll be alright though, her pulse is fine and i don't see any permanent damage" Donnie said after looking Karai over.

Leo let out the breath he had been holding ever since he saw Shredder pick Karai up, he had been worried when she hadn't moved at all when he set her down on the couch but Donnie seemed to be sure that she would wake up so that was good news.

Leo and Donnie soon left the living room but Splinter stayed behind, watching over his unconscious daughter.

* * *

When Karai's eyes finally fluttered open the living room was lit only by one dim light and the lair was quiet. Groaning she sat up slowly on the couch and looked around, noticing the door to Donnie's lab was closed she figured it must be late at night.

"Leonardo says you were fighting the Foot clan" Splinter's voice stated simply, Karai turned her head to see her father coming in from the dojo.

"Yeah, i managed to knock Shredder down but he got back up. He must have knocked me out while he did" Karai explained, holding her pounding head in her hands as she tried to remember the fight.

Splinter sat down next to his daughter, a worried look overtaking his face.

"I trust that you were not seeking revenge against Shredder?" He questioned and Karai almost rolled her eyes, even if she had been seeking revenge a lecture was not what she needed right now.

"I wanted to" she confessed "I really, really wanted to. I've been furious with him ever since i found out the truth and tonight i had my chance. But i let him go, i just couldn't do it" she said, tears beginning to form in her eyes. A part of her believed what Shredder had said about her being weak, but a wiser and thankfully bigger part of her knew that Shredder was wrong. Letting him go wasn't weakness, it was strength.

"I am proud of you my daughter" Splinter said and Karai looked at him in bewilderment, Shredder was their greatest enemy, how could her father be proud that she had not taken him out when she had the chance?

"Oroku Saki is a vengeful man, and you were raised by him. You overcame all you were taught and did not give into the thirst for revenge" Splinter explained but Karai only stared down at her hands.

"I think… I think that's why i couldn't do it" She confessed before looking back at her father.

"Shredder won't stop until we're all dead, but he still raised me. At the very least he took care of me. I know that one day we're going to have to take him out once and for all but when we do, i don't think i can be the one to do it" Karai admitted and Splinter only smiled before hugging his daughter.

Karai welcomed her father's embrace, laying her head on his chest. She relaxed as he ran his fingers through her hair, which was starting to grow longer and was now at equal length with the pieces which normally hung in front of her face.

"Hopefully that day will never come" Splinter said softly and Karai pulled away from the hug confused.

"But Father..?" She began but didn't know what to say, Splinter however understood that.

"Shredder may have saved you for the wrong reasons but he saved you nonetheless, and for that i am thankful" he explained.

A part of Karai wanted to point out that it was Shredder's fault she could've died to begin with but she decided against it. Growing up Shredder had to have cared about her, at least to some degree. After all he has the capability to cause serious physical damage but he never hurt her.

"So you believe that somehow this can all end without anybody getting hurt?" She asked, curious of the answer.

"I don't know" Splinter admitted with a sigh

"But it would not be the first time a miracle occurred" he continued and Karai smiled, hoping he was right.


	6. Two Of A Kind (April)

"Ugh, has anyone seen the scissors?" Karai asked in frustration as she rummaged through a third kitchen drawer but still no luck.

"Nope" Leo's voiced called from the living room.

Karai let out another soft groan of frustration as she continued to search only to once again find nothing.

"What do you need scissors for?" April's voice asked and Karai turned to see the red headed teenager standing on the other side of the table.

"To cut my hair" Karai answered simply as she went back to looking but after another minute or two gave up.

"Forget it, i'll just use my sword" she said in defeat and started to leave the kitchen but April glanced at her curiously.

"You're going to use your sword to cut your hair?" April asked and Karai gave her a shrug

"Unless i can find the scissors" she answered.

"Why don't you just let it grow out? I think it looks nice" April suggested, so far Karai's hair had grown just past her chin and the blond dye, although still there, was beginning to fade.

"I prefer it short" Karai answered before continuing on her way to her room.

* * *

Karai had been standing in front of her mirror for fifteen minutes now and was discovering that the only thing more frustrating than looking for the scissors to cut her hair with was using her sword to do it. Her first problem was that she was trying to leave out the two strands which often hung down at each side of her face, but they had begun to blend in with the rest of her hair and she was having a hard time getting the two strands even. Then there was problem of the rest of her hair, gathering it back into a small ponytail was easy enough but pulling it tight was another story. Each ponytail she made was too loose and made a bump of loose hair on the top of her head. If she cut it like that then it would turn out uneven and trying to fix it would most likely make things worse.

Growling in frustration Karai let go of her hair and shook out her aching arms, completely aware that she would have to begin the process of gathering and separating her hair all over again. She knew she should've cut her hair sooner but no she didn't get around to it until today, the day someone had apparently misplaced the scissors. Sitting down on her bed she cursed herself for waiting so long in the first place, she wasn't typically a procrastinator but despite knowing that she was going to need to keep her hair short, a part of her had wanted to try growing it out and therefor put off cutting it for as long as possible.

A knock at her door snapped her out of her thoughts.

She got up and answered the door only to find April on the other side, she knew it would only be a matter of time before someone came looking for her.

"Mikey's looking for you, apparently he beat your high score on the pinball machine and wants to rub it in your face" April informed Karai who couldn't help but laugh, Mikey had been playing that machine nonstop since she beat his high score a week ago.

"He can gloat in a minute, i'll be right out" Karai said as she walked back to her dresser and picked up her sword. Clutching it between her teeth she began pulling her hair tightly back one last time but she hadn't bothered to close the bedroom door, and April could see the reflection of Karai's nervous face in the mirror.

"Are you ok?" April asked from the doorway, unsure of if she should venture into the room or not.

"Fine" Karai answered, holding her hair with one hand and taking her sword in the other.

She went to cut her hair but it wasn't quite right and she hesitated, something which April picked up on.

"Really because if you were going to cut your hair i thought you would've done it by now?" April questioned knowing that something was wrong.

Karai rolled her eyes "believe me i'm going to do it, i'm just trying to get it right" she admitted, she moved the sword so that the blade was now touching her hair but she put no more force on it, not enough to cut anything.

April could see that Karai didn't want to do this, at the very least she knew the angle she currently had wasn't going to work. But she could also see that she was growing impatient and was going to do as she said she would.

"Do you want some help?" The red head offered and in the mirror she could see Karai frown.

"Thanks but i got it" she said and this time it was April who frowned.

"You can't see what you're doing" April pointed out

"I don't need to see what i'm doing, i just need to be able to feel it." Karai explained but that didn't help her argument.

"And does it feel like it's right?" April asked but Karai didn't answer at first.

Upon not receiving an answer April entered the bedroom and closed the door behind her

"Sit on your bed, i'll do it" she ordered in her motherly type of voice.

Karai may have grown up without a mother but she still knew it when April started to sound like one and she also knew not to argue when that happened. So with nothing more than a growl Karai released her grip on her hair and did as she was told, handing April her sword as the red head knelt behind her on the mattress.

"Just please be careful" Karai asked as April began to gather her friends hair into a small ponytail, doing a much better job of keeping it tight than Karai had.

"Jeez, you barely have enough hair to cut" April commented but Karai only huffed.

"I have enough for it to get on my nerves" she said and April smiled half a smile.

"You're one of those people who doesn't like it hanging your face?" April asked just trying to make conversation, although if that were true then she didn't understand why Karai kept those two strands right in front of her ears.

"No i'm one of those people who never learned how to brush long hair" Karai said in annoyance as she tried to keep her head still. However she regretted that confession the moment she said it and in that moment April's hands stopped moving.

April didn't say anything at first, she was wondering how it was that Karai had never learned something so natural as brushing hair but that was when April realized that it wasn't natural, it was something girls picked up from their mothers. She had been young when she lost her mother but she was still old enough to have picked up the skill of brushing her hair, sort of.

"Sorry, i'd teach you but i don't really know how either" April admitted and since Karai could feel that April's tight grip on her hair had loosened she turned her head.

"Your hair's long" Karai reminded April who shrugged

"Sort of. It barely reaches past my shoulders and i have to keep it in a ponytail because it's too knotted to wear down" April confessed as she attempted to run her fingers through her ponytail but as usual they quickly got stuck in the mess of knots beneath the surface.

Karai frowned as April readjusted herself into a sitting position, the two girls may seem like polar opposites but sometimes they forget that are both in the same boat.

It was something about growing up without a mother, it had marked them both in different ways. Aside from their hair there were other physical traits that each portrayed because of this, such as April didn't wear make-up because she never learned how to apply it, while Karai's make-up tended to be a little over the top for the same reason. There was something about them both, something not exactly unkempt but less put together than most other girls. It was hard to recognize, even in each other, but it was there.

"People think that this stuff is instinctive but it feels like the older i get the more i realize that most of it isn't" Karai said and April frowned because she knew how true that statement was.

"I know, i didn't know how to put a dress on until i was thirteen" April admitted, her voice coated in embarrassment as she remembered putting her costume for the middle school play on over her clothes and the teacher explaining to her that you're supposed to put a dress over your head, not step into it and pull it up.

"I was fifteen" Karai admitted with just a hint of laughter in her voice.

April laughed in return "hopefully we'll have most of it figured out by the time we have kids" she joked and Karai groaned in response but her groan hid a small laugh.

"I better have boys" she joked shaking her head at the thought of her with children, April laughed

"You have four younger brothers and you hope you have boys?" The red head questioned doubtfully.

"Good point" Karai admitted with a giggle and that was when Mikey's voice could be heard out in the hall.

"Karai! Come on where are you? Come out and taste the defeat of Mikey!" He called which resulted in both of the girls nearly falling over in laughter.

"Ok let's just cut my hair before he comes barging in" Karai said as she sat back up and once again April knelt behind her and pulled her short hair back into a small and tight ponytail but she hesitated with the sword.

"You know your hair is a lot thinner than mine so i think it should be easier to handle. How about i teach you to do your hair if you teach me how to do make-up?" April suggested and Karai turned halfway around, causing her hair to fall out of April's grip.

"You really think you can teach me?" Karai questioned skeptically and April nodded

"It's not rocket science" she joked and Karai chuckled

"Neither is make-up, alright deal" Karai agreed before getting up.

"Better go out and deal with Mikey" She joked as April got up and the two left the bedroom.


	7. Moving On (Casey)

"You realize that you haven't moved in three hours?" Karai sarcastically asked Casey as she walked up behind him. He was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands and had been like that since he came to the lair right after school.

The reason? April had been asked to prom.

"Sorry" he muttered under his breath in sadness, feeling like she should say something to cheer him up Karai took a seat next to him.

"If it makes you feel any better i think Donnie's still in shock" she said remembering how upon hearing about this Donnie had frozen up before taking to his lab and was still yet to come out.

Casey chuckled just a tiny bit

"Not really but picturing his face again kind of does" Casey admitted, remembering how Donnie's eyes had been wide as saucers and how his mouth had just hung open because Casey hadn't been the one to ask her so Donnie couldn't even be mad at him.

"It's my fault. Prom's next week and i knew i should've asked her earlier" Casey berated himself and Karai looked at him sympathetically, she knew how much he liked April and felt bad that he had missed his chance.

"Well it's just one night, maybe things won't go anywhere after that" she said trying to cheer him up but he didn't give much of a response other than a nod, that is until he finally turned to face her a minute later.

"Hey do you want to go?" He asked and Karai cocked an eyebrow at him, nothing on his face nor in his voice indicated that he was joking.

"Are you kidding?" She asked him skeptically

"No i'm serious" he said sounding almost hurt that she could think he wasn't.

Karai thought about it for a minute. In Japan prom, or any type of school dance really, just doesn't exist and so she had never thought much about going to one, especially since even if they were a thing in Japan she still wouldn't have ever had a chance to go to one since she never went to school.

"Come on i'll buy you one of those flowers that you wear on your wrist, you can get out of the sewer for a night and we're still just friends. It'll be fun" He tried to convince her.

It was strange, Casey hadn't considered asking Karai to the prom before and certainly didn't have feelings for her, he didn't think, but once he had asked he found that for whatever reason he really wanted to go with her, maybe even more than he had wanted to go with April.

"Do they even let you bring someone from outside of school?" Karai asked before deciding on her answer.

"Yeah i just gotta ask the vice principal for permission, he says yes to everyone." Casey assured her.

"Ok, i'll go" Karai finally answered, an involuntary smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

Casey also smile and when he didn't even bother trying to hide it Karai ended up letting her own grin escape her control.

"Alright right!" Casey cheered which caused Karai to roll her eyes in amusement.

* * *

Karai ended up spending that Saturday dress shopping with April and her friend Irma. Now that in itself wasn't bad however April still couldn't believe that Casey had asked Karai to the prom and her initial reaction had been less than happy about it.

It wasn't that she was jealous or anything, after all she was going with James, a guy from her pre-calculous class, but it frustrated her that she had never realized Karai and Casey were that close.

"Hey i'm sorry if i seemed a little..weird, when you told me you were going with Casey. It just took me by surprise" April apologized as she and Karai scanned a rack containing prom dresses while Irma was off looking somewhere else.

"It's fine, i was caught off guard too when he asked me" Karai admitted

"Besides i'm pretty sure he only asked me because you already had a date and he felt bad for me" Karai continued

April didn't say anything at first, mostly because as much as she hated to admit it she felt that was probably true. Casey had told her two months ago that he wasn't going to the prom, which was why she said yes to James, so it did kind of annoy her that Casey had either lied to her or just changed his mind after James asked her.

"Casey's capable of feeling bad for people?" April joked but she did sort of mean it, never once had she ever really seen Casey feel bad for anyone.

"I think so" Karai said with a giggle and just then Irma returned with two different dresses which she wanted to try on.

* * *

Leo was in the kitchen rummaging through the fridge for some leftover pizza on Monday around two-thirty in the afternoon when April and Casey came into the lair and Casey made his way into the kitchen.

"Hey Leo, is Karai around?" He asked leaning on the table.

Leo closed the door to the refrigerator as he turned around

"Last i saw she was in the dojo with Raph, what's going on?" Leo responded, Casey and Karai aren't all that close and even though Leo knew he had asked her to the prom they all figured it was just because he didn't have a date and felt bad that she would never have a chance to go. But he never came looking for her when he stopped by the lair.

"Nothing, just gotta tell her that i got the ok from the vice principal for her to come to prom. She was bugging me about it yesterday" Casey answered, she hadn't really been bugging him about it so much as she had told him that if he put off asking permission until the day of and then couldn't get it she would kill him, he doubted she would've actually hurt him and a part of him doubted she would've actually cared but he had been surprisingly anxious himself in getting the permission so he took care of it as soon as he could.

* * *

Heading into the dojo Casey found Karai and Raph in the middle of a sparring match, which wasn't unusual. The two of them normally took to the dojo when one of them needed to punch out some anger and the punching dummy in the living room wasn't enough. It was funny to think about, Karai and Raph probably had the worst relationship at the time of her rescue and yet now they probably understood each other the best. She had only been here a little over a month and a half but Karai was the only member of the family who could handle Raph after he had been pushed over the edge while Raph was somehow the only one who could understand Karai's temper.

Watching the fight it was hard to tell exactly who had blown up but one thing which was clear was that Raph and Karai had been in here for a while. Both were looking visibly tired and stopped quickly when Casey entered, thankful that someone had come in and halted their fight.

"Got your prom ticket" Casey said with a grin as he dug the small piece of paper out of his pocket.

Walking away from Raph Karai took the ticket from Casey

"Thanks, how much do i owe you?" She asked him but he just shook his head and chuckled.

"You do know that the guy is supposed to pay right?" He sort of joked and Karai only rolled her eyes

"Yeah when it's a date" she argued but Casey shrugged

"Don't care, you had to spend money on a dress anyway" he argued and Karai looked at him annoyed, mostly because she couldn't argue that.

Raph watched the exchange in mild amusement as he placed his sais securely back onto his belt. The two humans talked like their plans for Friday night wasn't a date but deep down even they knew it was. Raph didn't know or care a lot about high school events but he knew that the prom was a night where if you went with someone, even if you were just friends, it was a date, and frankly the idea of his sister going on a date with his best friend was a little strange to Raph. Of course he knew that there was nothing between them, at least he didn't think. But it was still weird to watch them argue over the cost of prom ticket when before last Friday afternoon they had barely ever spoken to each other. Raph was snapped out of his thoughts when Casey tried to walk away from the argument, an amused smirk on his face, and Karai fallowed him to the doorway still trying to get him to let her pay him back for the ticket. Once Casey had left the dojo Karai groaned as she turned back to Raph.

"Is he always this impossible?" She asked, folding her arms in annoyance. Raph just chuckled.

"Hey, he's your boyfriend" Raph teased

"He is not my boyfriend" Karai defended, she should've known this would be a week of endless teasing from her brothers.

"Whatever you say" Raph continued to mock as he put his hands up, pretending to admit defeat.

Karai rolled her eyes "whatever" she muttered before turning and exiting the dojo.

* * *

To say that Karai was the only one being tormented by having an annoying conversation about Friday would be a lie, to say that Casey would trade tormentors with her in heartbeat however would not. Casey had walked back into the living room to find that Leo had since left the kitchen and was now leaning over Mikey's right shoulder as the youngest turtle focused all of his attention on the old arcade game.

"How'd it go?" Leo questioned, turning his attention to Casey as the hockey player took a seat on the couch.

"Fine" Casey answered with a shrug but when Leo joined him on the couch he knew what was coming.

"Listen…" Leo began awkwardly but trailed off, thankfully Casey knew what he was about to say.

"Leo chill, i care about Karai but we're just friends. You don't have to worry" He assured Leo who breathed a sigh of relief.

"I know it's just, the last time Karai agreed to go out with a guy he tried to hand her over to Shredder and she came home in tears. Obviously i know you're not going to do anything like that but at the same time i don't want her to get hurt again." Leo explained, embarrassed that he was even saying any of this.

But Casey understood, he has a sister himself and even though she's only nine he knows he would strangle anyone who ever tried to hurt her.

"She won't, and if it makes you feel any better i know for a fact that Matt won't be there" Casey said

"How?" Leo asked skeptically, of course if it was true then it did make him feel a lot better.

Casey grinned smugly "he was filling in for goal at practice the other day and i may have accidentally shot my puck at his face" Casey admitted and Leo couldn't help but smile at the picture.

"That's going to keep him away from prom?" The leader asked, he didn't see how that was going to stop the Foot spy from going to prom but nonetheless he was happy to hear Matt got what he deserved, no matter how mean that might sound.

"Should. He got a wicked black eye from the puck and a major concussion from the ice after the puck knocked him down, he's out of school for the rest of the week which means he can't go to any school events" Casey explained, a sly grin on his face.

Leo was happy to hear that, not just because he knew it meant that Karai would be safe from Matt, but because it proved to him that Casey was already watching out for her.

* * *

When prom night came around the girls all met at April's apartment to get ready.

"Can somebody please zip this stupid thing?" Irma asked after managing to get the zipper on the back of her dress up about halfway but couldn't get the rest.

Without a word Karai did as Irma asked and zipped her into the rest of her dress.

"Thanks" Irma said

"No problem" Karai responded, returning to the mirror to finish her make-up.

"So Karai have you ever met April's secret friends?" Irma questioned and April rolled her eyes, she knew Irma was onto her and it was mean to never give her an answer but truthfully she was more comfortable avoiding the truth than full on lying.

"Can't say that i have" Karai said with a shrug, of course she knew that was a lie but it was better than the truth.

"Well that makes two of us" Irma muttered.

"Are you ready to go Irma?" April asked noticing that Irma had already slipped into her shoes.

"Yup, what about you guys?" Irma questioned

"Almost, i just have to do April's make-up" Karai answered, she had been teaching April to do her own make-up and although April now knew how to do it she had asked Karai for help tonight because she was afraid of messing up.

Irma nodded, Karai had done her make-up as well.

"I think i heard the guys in the living room. I'll go tell them we're almost ready" Irma said before leaving the bedroom.

* * *

Casey was waiting for the girls in the living room of the O'Neil's apartment along with James, he was also still trying to put on his tie.

"Hey Irma, a little help please?" He asked when Irma walked in, rolling her eyes at his struggle.

"The great Casey Jones is asking for my help?" She mocked to which Casey grimaced and she giggled.

"Hold still" she said as she took hold of Casey's tie, undid the strange set of knots he had twisted it into, and tied it correctly.

"Thanks" Casey muttered in embarrassment

"You're welcome" Irma responded

"Irma, you look lovely" James said, Irma smiled at the compliment.

"Thank you" she said with a grin.

"Yeah nice dress" Casey muttered just to be polite.

Irma was one of the few girls who had gone for a shorter prom dress. It was a strapless black dress with a flared out, puffy skirt above her knees. The rhinestones one her dress made a V-shaped pattern on the front and came back down the sides. She also had black pumps for shoes with small rhinestones on the straps which were fastened across her ankles. Her short purple hair was up in a bun with a few pieces sticking out here and there, April's aunt had done the girls hair.

"Everyone ready?" April's voice asked as she and Karai walked into the living room.

April was wearing a long, flowing, yellow-orange colored dress that was fastened behind her neck. It was pinched in at her waist and looked nice with her white, sandal style heels. Her hair was curled and put into a half up, half down style. James thought she looked beautiful.

Karai's dress was strapless like Irma's but long like April's. It was a deep purple and the top had a swirling pattern of rhinestones on the right side. She wore plain black flats and her hair was down and hanging in curls around her face, James had to nudge Casey to stop him from staring.

Not even a second later April's dad rushed in with his camera and made all of the kids pose for a picture.

"You clean up nice Jones" Karai teased as she stood next to Casey for the picture

"I could say the same for you" Casey said back but he did mean it, he really did think she looked beautiful.

* * *

The five teenagers arrived at the prom and almost immediately Irma abandoned them. She didn't have a date but she is in one of those 'it's complicated' relationships with some guy from the yearbook committee who also didn't have a date so she went off to talk to him.

"Hey guys" Casey's friend Victor from the hockey team said as he approached the group with his girlfriend.

"Sup Victor" Casey said, glad to see another one of his friends so quickly.

"Not much" Victor responded before noticing Karai

"You, don't tell me your name. I've seen you at the games, Casey's mentioned you. Katie?" Victor guessed as he tried to remember her name.

"Karai, close" she answered and Victor nodded before introducing himself.

As Casey talked with his friend and April and James disappeared off somewhere else Karai couldn't help but wonder why she had agreed to this. She didn't know anyone here aside from April and Casey. She couldn't go off and talk to anyone and during this conversation she was just standing there trying to figure out what the hockey terms Casey and Victor were using meant.

"So where do you go to school?" A voice asked, snapping Karai back to reality. It took her a second to realized that the voice had been Victor's girlfriend, and that she was talking to her.

"I'm homeschooled actually" Karai answered, embarrassed that she had been so zoned out.

"Wow, that's so cool" the girl responded but Karai merely shrugged

"No?" The girl asked, still with an overly happy smile on her face.

"I guess but it's my dad teaching me and my four younger brothers so it gets pretty noisy" Karai said and the girls face turned from that of slight fascination to astonishment.

"Wow i bet" she said and that was when a voice could be heard from halfway across the gym.

"Lacy!" The voice called and the girl turned around

"I've got to go but it was nice meeting you!" Lacy exclaimed before pulling her boyfriend off in the direction the voice had come from.

About fifteen minutes later the DJ played the first slow song of the night so of course all of the couples were out on the dance floor. Casey wasn't one for dancing and he didn't think Karai was either, but he hadn't missed it when she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye when the song began.

"Hey, want to dance?" He asked her, she looked at him curiously. Almost the exact same expression she had given when he first asked her to the prom but this time just a little bit softer.

"Sure" she answered so the two made their way to the edge of the dance floor.

Secretly Casey didn't know if he had wanted her to say yes or no. He almost wished she had said no because of how awkward he was afraid of it being but something inside of him really had wanted her to say yes and was happy she did. To the surprise of both of them it wasn't as awkward as they had feared. The instant Karai wrapped her arms around Casey's neck and he placed his hands on her waist, all of that nervousness just disappeared from them both. So much in fact that less than halfway through the song Karai found herself placing her head on Casey's shoulder. If Casey was surprised at all by this he didn't show it, instead he wrapped his arms around her lower back to hold her closer. It wasn't until the song ended and another upbeat song began to play did they pull apart and fully process what the two of them must have looked like dancing that way, a real couple.

An hour later and Casey was still thinking about the slow dance. He sat alone at a table taking a break from dancing to the fast paced music and he could see where Karai, April and Irma were on the dance floor. He couldn't help but smirk at seeing Karai, she didn't really know how to dance and was just sort of tapping her toes. It was strange to think about, ever since she moved into the lair he had seen her as a villain turned hero, as an enemy they could now trust. But watching her now he didn't see that. Instead what he saw was a seventeen year old girl, a seventeen year old girl who had never had much of a social life and now wanted nothing more than to have a little fun.

_She's beautiful too_

Casey snapped himself out of his thoughts when that crossed his mind, where had that come from? He did think that Karai was pretty, he had thought that since the day he met her. But he had never expanded on that thought to any degree. Despite not knowing the origins of the thought, or rather not wanting to admit to knowing them, he had to agree with it. Karai was beautiful. Her hair was losing it's curl by this point in the night and was now hanging around her face in a wavy mess, yet it somehow it still looked like she had meant for it to be that way. Her smile may have been small but even from halfway across the room Casey could see that her golden eyes were still bright with life.

In mid thought he stopped himself again.

_She's the guy's sister_ he reminded himself.

_Even if i were to get over April, and i'm not saying that i have, i could never start liking by best friend's sister!_ He silently scolded himself but whether he would accept it or not, Casey knew that was exactly what was happening.

He only hoped it wouldn't last.

* * *

"I can't believe i'm saying this but that was actually fun" Karai admitted as she and Casey walked through the dark tunnels of the sewers after the prom. One good thing about having gone to the dance as Casey's date was that he could actually walk her home afterwards, anyone else would've just had to walk her to April's.

"Yeah, especially when Mr. Miller slipped and landed in the punch bowl" Casey laughed, remembering how his physics teacher who was chaperoning the dance had made such a scene that the DJ actually stopped playing just so every could figure out what was going on.

"Yeah, thanks again for bringing me" Karai said and Casey grinned.

"No problem, besides i didn't know you could dance" Casey almost teased and Karai shot him an amused look.

"If whatever i was doing resembled dancing to you then you might need your eyes checked" she joked

"I don't know, you did alright dancing with me" Casey said and Karai was quiet.

Unconsciously they both began walking at a slower rate, neither of them knowing what to say.

"Sorry i didn't mean it like that" Casey said

"Mean it like what?" Karai questioned but didn't give him a chance to answer.

"You said what happened, simple as that" she finished but Casey only looked at her, by now they were only a few feet from the lair and so Casey stopped walking.

"Karai you know what i meant" he said causing her to stop.

"Look i don't want to get between you and April" she said but when she tried to continue walking Casey gently grabbed her wrist.

"There's nothing to get between" he assured her.

He let go of her wrist but she didn't move and neither did he.

"Look i understand if you want to just be friends but i'm telling you now that I'm over April" Casey said but when Karai finally met his gaze she looked like she didn't believe it.

"Casey anybody can look pretty at prom-" Karai began but Casey cut her off, knowing what she was about to accuse him of.

"No it's not just tonight" he blurted out, Karai stared at him dumbfounded.

"It's been all week. Since about ten seconds before i asked you i thought that maybe going with you to the prom would be fun and i know that the whole week was awkward and we kept saying that it was just one night but the closer we came to tonight the more i didn't want to have tomorrow come, and i still don't" Casey admitted. Karai still didn't say anything, she didn't know what to say. A part of her really did feel the same way but another part of her reminded her that there is something else which she doesn't know how to do, beyond family she doesn't know how to love.

"Like i said i understand if you want to stay just friends-" Casey repeated but this time he was the one who was cut off.

"It's not that" Karai said shaking her head.

"It's just that when it comes to being anything… beyond friends… i don't know what that's like" she confessed but Casey only smiled and offered her his hand.

"Then it's up to you, do you want to find out?" He asked.

Karai hesitated for a moment, this was a strange feeling to her. Her heart felt light and heavy at the same time, she was filled with a mix of anxiousness and fear and wondered how on earth her skin could feel so hot when the sewers were so cold. Thankfully one rational part of her mind was still functioning, most of her mind had gone blank with surprise by now. That one working piece of her mind warned her that she would regret it if she let this chance go, if she didn't act on her feelings. So she slipped her hand inside of Casey's and before she knew it she had stood up on her toes to kiss him.

* * *

**Whoa long chapter! I did not think that the Casey and Karai chapter was gonna go this long but when i tried to make it shorter it just felt way to rushed. I just want to say thank you to everyone whose been reading and for all the great reviews, it makes me so happy to see people enjoying what i write! Hope you all loved the one shots and thank you to the guest user who requested a Mikey and Karai themed one shot, i had been thinking about turning this into a series but the request is what convinced me to do it! Thanks again to everyone reading and hope you enjoyed!**


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